Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. As I read this scripture the word profession caught my attention. Our profession, what is our profession? We are called to be Disciples of Christ or Christians. I began to think what is The Christian Job Description? Being a Christian is serious business it is not something we should take lightly. This walk requires us to walk a narrow road and there will be few who find it. Now let us delve into what a profession is.
Profession is defined as: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation. A profession is a job.
For many years my profession was in food service. I had many different job titles depending on where I was employed, titles such as Facility Chef and Dining services director. I received specialized training and knowledge which enabled me to perform my job at a high level. The more I worked in this profession the more knowledge and skills I obtained. My goal was to perform at the best of my ability using the skills and knowledge I had acquired, however there were times when mistakes were made, but I learned from my mistakes.
What is the specialized training that we receive as Christians? It is not going to bible school or seminary; this does not necessarily train a person for the profession of a Christian. Jesus trained his disciples for three and a half years. They learned how to heal, how to cast out demon and they learned how to trust and have faith in God. They gained knowledge from the words that Jesus spoke to them and when they were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost they went forth with boldness and preached the word of God. We don’t need a degree to show that we are Christian; our training comes from hearing the preached word, from praying, fasting and praising God.
Many Christians have been deceived into believing that all they are supposed to do is go to church; live the best they can, do charitable work and give. This is not true, Jesus commanded us to go forth and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out devils, we should be operating in the prophetic and whatever area God has given us to operate in. We must understand that we will not be operating in our own power but through the power of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus did. God wants us to “come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13. When we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and come to the realization of who we are in Christ we become brothers and sisters to Christ. Unfortunately many Christians do not know because they are not being taught that we have been given the same power and authority to do the same works Jesus did. They do not know about The Christian Job Description.
As I looked at Hebrews 3:1, The Holy Spirit showed me being a Christian as a profession. Being a Christian is a calling in spite of the fact that many people today say they are Christian, though according to the word of God a Christian is someone who follows the gospel of Christ. A person cannot be a Christian in word only. We cannot be hearers of the word only and not doers of the word. To be a Christian one must first believe that God is and that he sent Jesus to die for our sins. In fact this is the work of God, St. John 6: 28-29 says, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” If a person says they believe this then they will prove this belief by obeying the commandments of Jesus. The Bible says faith without works is dead.
Jesus said he must do the work God sent him to do. I want to put emphasis on “must.” This is an imperative, a vital necessity, something that has to be done. He was compelled to do this. To work is to labor and produce fruit. We are to work for God just as we would work a natural job. On a natural job we have a boss, we have assignments we must complete, we must work with others, we have rules and regulations we must follow. All this we do if we have respect for our positions and the person we are working for. If we do a good job at our places of employment we reap the rewards. We earn a paycheck, we may be eligible for bonuses, we earn vacation time, sick time and other forms of compensation that the employer gives us for working at their company. And usually once a year we are given a salary increase. All of this comes from a natural boss, how much more do we reap working for the Lord God, the creator of all things?
I believe if we can view our walk with God in a different light then it will help us to be better Christians. So many people live the Christian life haphazardly, not really thinking about what this actually means. Consider the job you have now or the job you had in the past and apply this to your relationship with God. What type of employee are you? Do you do the best possible job you can or are you there just for the paycheck? Do you get to work on time? Do you listen to your boss? Do you work to constantly improve yourself on the job or are you satisfied with doing enough to just get by?
The Christian Job Description
Position:
Christian
Job summary:
The person in this position will have many responsibilities. This job requires total commitment. It requires self-sacrifice and unconditional love. The person will work in public environments and will experience suffering but also joy and peace. This job will cause people to turn their backs on you and you will also experience persecution from others.
Reports to:
Jesus Christ, the Apostle and High Priest of our profession.
Hours:
Full Time Position--24 hours a day/ 7 days a week
Qualifications:
Believe in Jesus Christ: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. I John 5:1
Receive the water baptism: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38
Receive the Holy Spirit: And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:3-4
Become born again: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. St. John 3:5
Become a new creature: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. II Corinthians 5:17
Keep the commandments: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind… Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:37&39
Responsibilities and Duties:
Show love: Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. I John 4:11 and My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. I John 3:18
Study the word: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15
Reprove darkness: And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Ephesians 5:11
Forgive: Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Colossians 3:13
Be gentle of spirit: To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. Titus 3:2
Put off the old man: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Ephesians 4:22
Have faith: For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17
Be kind to each other: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
Pray: And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Luke 18:1
Fast: But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:17-18
Be Holy: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. I Peter 1:15-16
Don’t be conformed to this world: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2
Hunger & thirst after righteousness: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6
Be merciful: He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8
Fear God: Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Psalms 112:1
Renew your mind: And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Ephesians 4:23
Be fishers of men: And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19
Be salt & light: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:13-14
Be pure in heart: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8
Put away lying and speak truth: Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:25
Do not steal: Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Ephesians 4:28
Be a peacemaker: Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Romans 14:19
Exercise spiritual gifts & authority: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8 and But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. I Corinthians 12:31
Give glory to God: There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God. Psalm 86:8-10
Do not fear man: I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass. Isaiah 51:12
Be perfect: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48
Crucify the flesh: And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Galatians 5:24
Bear fruit: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. St John 15:2
Deny self: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
Give to others: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38
Compensation:
Needs will be met: Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?... Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:25, 32-33
Will have joy and peace: Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13
Will receive abundant life: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. St. John 10:10
Will receive eternal life: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John 3:16
Do you see The Christian Job Description now? If being a Christian is your profession what does this mean to you? What does this look like to you? If you were to fill out a job application or submit your resume to God for the position of Christian would you meet the qualifications? Are you willing to take on the responsibilities and duties? Each of us has work to do, as Paul said in Philippians we have not arrived yet but we are pressing towards the mark.
Nadine Richmond
Prophetess at The Church Readiness Ministries
Author: The New Birth: Going Unto Perfection
